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Tropical Storm Walter (2016- Brickcraft1)
'''Tropical Storm Walter '''was a weak tropical cyclone that impacted Florida in early December of 2016. The origins of Walter go back to a low pressure system that moved off the Texas coast on December 1, and formed on December 3 as Tropical Depression Twenty-One. Initially, Twenty-One struggled to intensify. It was over barely adequate sea surface temperatures, and failed to intensify to a tropical storm on the day it formed. The next day, the depression became a Tropical storm, and was named Walter. It strengthened slightly and Walter made landfall as a weak tropical storm in Dixie County, Florida on December 4th. The storm moved into Georgia and was absorbed by a cold front before dissipating on December 5. Walter brought heavy rains to the impacted areas which brought some flooding, but it was relatively local and slight. The storms strengthening into a tropical storm was unexpected by forecasters, due to the cold water of December. No watches or warnings were issued in the approach of Twenty-One at the time, until when it became a tropical storm. The NHC received heavy criticism for this blunder. The NHC apologised, but also retaliated by criticizing the public for not preparing in the approach of Walter, even if it was weak. Thankfully, in the end Walter was not destructive but led to the death of one person. This occurred after said persons vehicle was washed away in a flash flood. Walter caused numerous, yet scattered, power outages throughout the state of Florida. In Tampa, it was reported that a quarter of the city experienced a blackout. Tornadoes were also reported throughout the states affected, but most were weak and relatively short lived. Walter was the second "W" named storm ever; the only other one was Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Walter was also the first December Atlantic tropical cyclone since 2007. Walter caused $43,000 dollars in damages. Meteorological History On December 1, the NHC began monitoring a low pressure system that had recently moved off the Texas coast. It was given a near 0 percent chance of development. However, the low began to show increasing organization, against all forecasts. The low was still not expected to develop. However, on December 2, it continued to increase with organization, and the NHC increased the chances of development into the "medium" category. With its convection further increasing, and hurricane hunters aircraft was scheduled to fly into the storm the next day. Overnight, the storm became organized, and the NHC increased possible chances of development to 60%. When recon flew out, they investigated the system for a couple of hours, and found a closed circulation in the system, much to their surprise. The first advisory was issued on Tropical Depression Twenty-One shortly their after. Twenty-One was over barely adequate sea surface temperatures to strengthen at about 77-79 degrees Fahrenheit, and remained weak as it traveled east towards the Florida peninsula. Overnight, Twenty-One showed some signs of strengthening, such as gaining more convection and becoming more organized at the center. This prompted recon to investigate. After investigating the system, they found a tropical storm, much to their surprise. The tropical storm was given the name ''Walter. ''Walter was approaching Florida, and was still struggling to intensify, and even maintain its strength. Walter approached Florida on December 4, and hit peak strength before landfall in Dixie County. Walter was turned north, and weakened quickly, and moved up into Georgia as a tropical depression. It was losing most of its convection over Georgia, due to cold air and land interaction. A cold front moved through and absorbed Walter over South Carolina, and it dissipated shortly thereafter. Preparations and Impact Florida In Florida, not a whole lot of preparations were made, since warnings were not issued for Florida when Twenty-One first formed. Many expected it to not do anything at all. People were not taking the storm seriously and only few got their hurricane kits ready, and when the storm gained a name, people panicked and rushed preparations, causing most people to be poorly prepared for the storm. As Walter moved onshore, there were already problems. Flooding began in local areas, and traffic accidents were reported as many people were still gathering supplies. However, since the storm weakened rather quickly after landfall, damage was relatively limited, except for houses which were flooded by short lived flash floods, one of which caused a death. Several tornadoes were reported. One EF1 injured 4 people on the outskirts of Tampa. In Florida, damages racked up to around $40,000 Georgia As Walter aimed for Georgia, residents prepared, but not much. They were told to brace for flooding, and severe weather. Roads were closed in some areas. Preparations were rushed for Walter as well. By the time it crossed the border, it was a rapidly weakening tropical depression. The most Georgia experienced was some very localized flooding, which flooded very few houses. Walter mainly brought rain showers to the state, with a few tornadoes causing weak damage, such as broken windows, and fallen limbs. Some downpours occurred, but were very brief. In all, Walter cost almost 3,000 dollars in damages. South Carolina After Walter was absorbed into the front in South Carolina, there were reports of strong winds, as well as heavy downpours. However, Walter was dissipating, and not much damage was done except for a few brief, very weak tornadoes causing tree limbs to fall. Walter totaled somewhere around $100-$300 dollars in South Carolina. Category:Tropical storms Category:Past Storms